lolz, didn't think you were a girl
anyway ... about ground tricks, I personally prefer to have a stiff freestyleboard. With the same stiffness (not the rating, I mean the equivalent stiffness), you have better axial and lateral control, and it is more fun to ride.
if you want to buy a board, it is time to buy right now, or wait for 4 month and buy in summer. Buying from the States would be a good idea too.
about CSPS, you have do do training for 3 month and pass all the tests, then there is a certain level of commitment you have to make. Every year there is a re-cert test, which is the same test as the initial test, just that you don't have to do the classrooom time. The membership is about $150/annual. You get to ski a lot, and socialize with people, but again, there is a certain level of expectation of commitment from you.